(CSG print) D-20, hundreds of attendees meet to discuss armed staff and teachers
Parents, teachers and advocates came out in droves Thursday evening in support and in opposition as the Academy District 20 Board of Education held preliminary talks to update security policies by allowing teachers and staff to carry concealed firearms at schools.
D-20 board members, Superintendent Jinger Haberer, Deputy Superintendent Becky Allan and about 100 community members were present at a study session held at the district’s administrative building.
D-20 Safety and Security Director Rich Payne presented an overview of the district’s security system in place and Peter Ristig, director for risk management, compared the district’s safety procedures using armed uniformed officers with an alternative utilizing armed nonuniformed staff.
Ristig detailed that security guards wear uniforms and openly carry firearms to identify themselves to everybody and undergo psychological examinations, random drug tests and regular, ongoing training.
He also pointed out differences between open and concealed carry approaches. Specifically, he noted that weapon retention, or how secure a firearm is in a holster, is greater with open carry holsters, and concealed carry approaches might increase risks in schools where children and adults have easier and prolonged access to someone with a firearm.
Because concealed carriers often use their personal weapons and ammo where districts allow them to carry on campus, he said this likely would not meet the same standards issued by the district and the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Ristig added that the district’s insurance plan would likely not renew its liability insurance if a nonuniformed armed staff approach were adopted. An unofficial survey conducted by the district’s insurance broker estimated an approximate $400,000 increase due to higher deductibles and potential policy exclusions.
One-hundred-eighty-thousand dollars is spent on patrol officers, with four patrolling officers for the district’s elementary schools, three patrol and one school resource officers at each high school and one armed officer at each middle school.
Payne noted that it’s rare for the district to be fully staffed with officers on a given day due to time off and commitments with other agencies and that they often move around the district as needed.
He added that the idea for nonuniformed armed staff dates back as far as 2½ years ago with various community members before board members became aware of this option.
“It’s been a conversation behind the scenes and just (recently) kind of grew legs,” he said.
During the hourlong session, district administrators asked questions ranging from the resources available in the district, reallocating those resources, and how successful other concealed-carry approaches have been with other nearby districts.
Insurance and overall logistics were noted as reasons why districts with concealed carry policies such as D-3 and D-49 opted not to adopt an approach like the one being discussed.
As the study session concluded, Payne made a final point of how what was being discussed is intended to only add to, not subtract from, what is available.
“It’s to enhance the program we currently have in place,” he said.
Some members of the public approached board members individually after the session, but most segued toward the board meeting room for the regular meeting that followed shortly thereafter. Lines of people quickly formed outside the administrative building as seating was prepared ahead of the meeting.
Sections of the meeting were paused to allow the passage of different groups in attendance for specific agenda items due to the meeting room exceeding capacity.
Among those in attendance included the Colorado chapter for Moms Demand Action, a nationwide group advocating for greater public safety measures to reduce gun violence and Advocates for D-20 Kids, a local advocacy group composed of parents, teacher and students across the district. Two hundred fifty people tuned into the meeting virtually.
Before the public comment period, board members made general comments to address everyone in attendance and let them know that they have received and read the messages received over the past week.
Out of the 30 public comments concerning school safety, 20 were opposed to adopting the concealed carry policy and 10 in favor. Each comment was followed by rounds of applause by those in the board room, echoed by applause from attendants outside the room.
Students who commented were in opposition, stressing that gun violence is constantly on their minds while at school that resources should be invested into mental health programs rather than gun training.
“This will not fix anything. It will do nothing but make things worse,” one student told the board if they adopted the policy.
In a letter written to members of the Academy Education Association, the local teachers union shared results from a survey conducted throughout the district to gather staff feedback on the proposed action:
• When asked if they would carry a gun in school, if given the option, 94% said they would not, 4% said they would and 2% were unsure.
• 89% reported they would feel less safe, 4% safer and 7% unsure if licensed staff could carry firearms.
• 86% reported they would be more likely to leave the district, 4% more likely to stay in the district while 10% said the decision would make no difference.
“The will of the educators is evident: Staff who work in Academy D-20 do not support arming educators with guns,” the letter said.
According to the letter, 145 staff members completed the survey.
Other arguments against arming teachers and staff included adding additional training to their current workload, fast response times by law enforcement in the past and trust in the security officers employed by the district.
As an information item on the board’s agenda, no official action was taken at the meeting on whether to implement any sort of plan.
During both meetings, board president Aaron Salt stressed to everyone attending that it would be some time before a final decision was made.
“This is the first part of a lengthy conversation,” Salt said.
A District 20 student speaks at a meeting before the Board of Education on Thursday in opposition of adopting a concealed carry policy for teachers and staff.
A District 20 parent speaks Thursday to the Board of Education in favor of adopting a concealed carry policy for teachers and staff.
